These auspicious aspects, which the astrologers subsequently interpreted for me, may have been the causes of my preservation.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheDo people conform to the instructions of us old ones? Each thinks he must know best about himself, and thus many are lost entirely.
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheEveryone holds his fortune in his own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure. But it's the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The Skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe